Parshat Devarim: Israel Needs You
Anyone who cares about Israel cannot help but feel anxiety as the drums of war beat louder and louder. We keep hearing about the fire-power that Hezbollah has amassed and the threats from Iran after the humiliating security breach that allowed the bombing of Hamas’ leader in their backyard.
Of course the worry in Israel itself is a lot more intense than anything we might be feeling here. Ynetnews.com featured a piece titled “Anticipation of Iranian Retaliation Weighs Heavily on Israelis Mental Health” and noted:
Due to fears of escalation and Iranian retaliation, many Israelis are currently grappling with a complex mental reality. They face anxiety, uncertainty, a lack of control, and difficulty making everyday decisions. These challenges stem from the security uncertainty and the unknowns about if, where, and when the attack might occur. In recent days, many Israelis have been experiencing existential anxiety, feeling as though their lives are “on hold.”
While Israelis are sitting on pins and needles, the question for us who do not live there is what can we do to help matters? Is there anything we can do or are we left just sitting on our hands and hoping for the best?
The fact of the matter is that each and every one of us can help in a very meaningful way. Of course there be many different avenues to assist in terms of charitable and financial assistance, whether by buying Israeli bonds or helping those whose livelihoods have been adversely affected by the war. But everyone can get involved on a spiritual level.
Whether you are “religious” or not or somewhere in between, you cannot deny that there is a spiritual component to the continued existence of the Jewish people in general, and to Eretz Yisrael in particular. David Ben Gurion – one of the founders of the state and its first Prime Minister – was never considered a “religious” Jew in the strict sense of the word, yet he was quoted as saying, “In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.”
There is no denying the hand of God in bringing us back to our ancestral homeland after a two-thousand year exile; something no other nation has ever experienced in all of history. Additionally, God’s hand has been very present whenever Israel has been in a precarious situation since its founding in 1948.
Jewish tradition has always recognized the relationship to our material well-being and our spiritual well-being. The Torah itself, in more than one place, draws a line that connects one to the other. As such, this means that each and every Jew – living in Israel or not – has an important role to play in the good and welfare of Jews all over, and especially those living in Israel at this time.
This being the case, now is the time for us to up our game Jewishly and spiritually. Now more than ever we need to roll up our sleeves and make a greater Jewish effort in our lives. If you don’t light candles every Friday night, now is the time to start. If you haven’t put on tefillin in a while, come to Aish or your local Chabad for a refresher on how to. If you put them on periodically, start putting them on more regularly. If you daven every day but not in a minyan, make the extra effort to attend a minyan. Give a little extra Tzedaka. Hold back when you normally see yourself getting impatient or angry with a loved one. Resist speaking Lashon Hara. Wherever you are on the spiritual spectrum of Judaism, Torah and Mitzvot, now more than ever we need to go an extra mile so that the added zechut/merit of our good deeds will work to protect our brothers and sisters in Israel.
And just one more thing. And that is concerning the anxiety you might be feeling about all the threats against Israel. Of course Israel will take any and all steps to protect the people living there. But in addition to this we must keep in mind the words that we recite in the Hallel prayer that we just said this week for Rosh Chodesh, the new month of Av:
All the nations surrounded me – in the name of the Lord I cut them down! They surrounded me, they also encircled me – in the name of the Lord I cut them down! They surrounded me like bees, they were extinguished like fire does to thorns. In the name of the Lord I cut them down! You pushed me hard so I would fall but God has assisted me. God is my might and praise and will be my Rescuer. (Psalms 118)
God has protected Israel through many difficulties and He shall do so once again. But our job right now is to step up our game and do extra mitzvot that will assist Israel. This is the one way that each of us can help Israel right now. Let’s do it.
בלילות שישי אני מבקשת
סימנים שרק יראו לי לאן
מול נרות שבת אני מקדשת
את הבית שבנית לי כאן
On Friday nights I ask for
Signs that will only show me where (I am going)
Facing the Shabbat Candles
I sanctify this House that You built for me here
-Nasrin Kadri
